Patterned on nature equals design perfection.

Make no mistake, despite all of those pristine white walls we’ve been seeing, wallpaper is back, baby. Yes, as a trend it comes and goes, but for style-forward thinkers, pattern is definitely where it’s at. And not just any pattern. Nope, we’re delving back in design history to the Arts and Crafts movement and to design powerhouse William Morris.

Mythical, botanical and a touch medieval, Morris’s patterns from the late 1800s were an antidote to stodgy Victorian design and a clarion call to traditional crafts. Though more than a century old, his work is on point for today’s richly layered interiors, and renowned British wallpaper and fabric company Morris & Co. are happy to provide as much pattern as you can handle. So much so, the firm recently reintroduced a dazzling 42 wallpapers and 67 fabrics from their archives. If we had to pick a favourite wallpaper, it’s definitely the utterly charming Strawberry Thief, featuring berry-obsessed thrushes and curlicued greenery on a richly tinted indigo ground. Created in 1883 by Morris, this iconic design is still a hot pick with pattern-loving designers.

Statement walls? No thank you. We’re seeing this print wrapping full rooms, with trim painted in glossily lacquered blues, greens or reds pulled straight from the paper for a sophisticated vibe. If you’re into the look, a dark background is key, no matter which pattern you pick. For a more modernist yet no less playful take, check out the fanciful prints of prolific 20th-century artist, architect and designer Josef Frank. Designer Sam Sacks is a fan and used Frank’s statement-making Paradiset pattern on a recent project, masterfully paired with what she calls a “muddy” coloured trim. The results can only be described as lush.

Classic

 

Morris & Co.’s Strawberry Thief Wallpaper in Indigo, $244 per double roll, Wallpaper Direct, wallpaperdirect.com.

► This quintessential pattern comes in more than 10 colourways.

Design descendants

Modernist

 

Paradiset Wallpaper, US$128 per 10-metre roll, Svenskt Tenn, svenskttenn.com.

Painterly

 

Susie Q Anthracite Wallpaper, $220 per 3 rolls, Mind the Gap, mindtheg.com.